What does MFA actually mean?

Multi-factor authentication. Alongside your password, you prove it is you a second way — approving a prompt in an authenticator app, entering a code, or using a fingerprint. It is the single biggest reason a stolen password stops being enough to get into your account.

What is the difference between the cloud and on-premises?

Cloud means the files or the service live on servers run by a provider such as Microsoft and reached over the internet. On-premises means they live on hardware your own organization owns and runs, usually in its own building.

Why does IT say something is a Group Policy setting?

Group Policy is how a company applies the same configuration to every work computer at once — screen lock timeouts, printer mappings, blocked settings. If a setting is greyed out on your machine, a policy is usually holding it, and it has to be changed centrally rather than by you.

Understanding Common IT Terms — A Plain English Glossary

Applies to: All users, all platforms
Article Type: Informational
Last Updated: 2026-07-29

Summary

This is a reference for the words that turn up in IT emails, error messages, and helpdesk replies without ever being explained. Each term gets one plain sentence, a note on where you are likely to meet it, and a link to the full guide where one exists.

Prerequisites

None required. Read it end to end once, or use your browser's find function (Ctrl + F, or Command + F on a Mac) to jump to a term.

Instructions

1. Accounts and Signing In

Term	What it means	Why you'd hear it
MFA (multi-factor authentication)	A second proof of identity on top of your password — an app prompt, a code, or a fingerprint.	Every sign-in from a new device or location. Covered in How to Understand MFA and Prevent Account Lockouts.
SSO (single sign-on)	Signing in once with your work account, then getting into other approved apps without typing the password again.	When an approved app recognizes you without asking for a password. If it asks anyway, your session has expired — see How to Tell if Your Microsoft 365 Account is Signed In Correctly.
Conditional Access	A rule that decides whether to allow a sign-in based on who you are, what device you are on, and where you are.	The cause of most "you can't get there from here" blocks. See How to Fix "You Can't Access This From Here" Conditional Access Errors.
Tenant	Your organization's own private space inside Microsoft 365, holding its accounts, mailboxes, and files.	"That file is in a different tenant" means it belongs to another company and your account is a guest there. Understanding Your Microsoft 365 Account — What You Can (and Can't) Change covers the boundary.
Directory (Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID)	The master list of every account, group, and device in the organization, and what each is allowed to do.	Password and account questions, because there can be two directories with two passwords — Understanding Password Resets — Active Directory vs. Microsoft 365.
Passkey	A sign-in method that replaces the password with your device's fingerprint, face, or PIN.	Rollouts replacing passwords entirely. See How to Use Passkeys Instead of Passwords in Microsoft 365.
Account lockout	A temporary block after too many failed sign-in attempts, designed to stop someone guessing your password.	Usually a phone or tablet still trying an old password in the background.

2. Files and Storage

Term	What it means	Why you'd hear it
Sync	Keeping the copy of a file on your computer and the copy in the cloud identical, automatically.	The green tick and blue arrows on your OneDrive folders. When it stalls, see How to Fix OneDrive Sync Problems — Pending, Stuck, or Files Not Uploading.
Cloud	Files or services that live on a provider's servers and are reached over the internet rather than stored only on your machine.	"Save it to the cloud" means OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams rather than your desktop.
On-premises	Servers and storage your organization owns and runs itself, usually in its own building.	Network drives with letters like `S:` or `H:`. Understanding Network Drives vs. Cloud Storage — Where to Save Your Files explains which to use when.
Quota	The storage limit on your account — mailbox, OneDrive, or a SharePoint site.	Warning emails before uploads or sends start failing. See How to Manage Your OneDrive and SharePoint Storage Quota.
Version history	The stored earlier copies of a file, kept automatically every time it is saved to the cloud.	Recovering from an overwrite or a bad edit without a ticket — How to Restore a Previous Version of a File in OneDrive.
Files On-Demand	Cloud files that appear in File Explorer but download only when you open them, so they take no disk space until then.	Why a folder shows thousands of files on a laptop with little free space.
Permissions	The rules that say who can open, edit, or share a given file or folder.	Every "access denied" message.

3. Networking

Term	What it means	Why you'd hear it
VPN (virtual private network)	An encrypted tunnel from your laptop to the company network, so you can reach internal systems from anywhere.	Working from home or a hotel. See Understanding Your Company's VPN — What It Does and Why You Need It.
DNS (domain name system)	The internet's address book — it turns a name like `outlook.office.com` into the numeric address your computer connects to.	Pages failing to load while the connection itself is fine. See How to Fix "DNS Server Isn't Responding" on Windows.
IP address	The numeric address identifying your computer on a network, such as `192.168.1.42`.	Any network ticket. Find yours with How to Find Your Computer Name and IP Address.
Proxy	A server that your web traffic passes through on the way out, so the company can filter and log it.	Sites that load at home and are blocked at work — How to Fix "This Site Can't Be Reached" Browser Errors.
Firewall	The barrier that decides which network traffic is allowed in or out of a device or network.	Apps that cannot connect until an exception is added.
Bandwidth	How much data your connection can carry at once — the width of the pipe, not the speed of one file.	Video calls breaking up while a large upload runs. See How to Troubleshoot Slow Internet or Network Performance (User-Level Steps).
Latency	The delay before data starts arriving, measured in milliseconds.	Calls that echo or talk over each other despite a fast connection.

4. Devices and Management

Term	What it means	Why you'd hear it
Group Policy	The mechanism that applies the same Windows settings to every company computer at once.	Greyed-out settings. "That's policy" means it is set centrally — How to Fix "Your Organization's Policies Are Preventing Us" Error.
Intune	Microsoft's device management service — the cloud equivalent of Group Policy, and how apps and settings reach laptops and phones.	"We'll push it via Intune" means the change arrives on its own.
Enrollment	Registering a device with your organization so it is recognized as managed and allowed to reach company data.	Setting up a phone for work email — Understanding Company Portal, Device Management, and Your Privacy.
Compliance	Whether a device meets the security rules (up to date, encrypted, screen lock on) required to access company data.	The "device not compliant" block on phones.
Image	The standard build of Windows and apps that IT installs on every new machine.	"It'll come with the standard image" — see Understanding What to Do When You Get a New Computer — First-Day IT Checklist.
Driver	The small piece of software that lets Windows talk to a specific piece of hardware — printer, webcam, dock.	Hardware that stops working after an update. Drivers arrive through Understanding Windows Updates — What They Are and Why They Matter.
Company Portal	The app on a managed device where you install approved software yourself.	Software requests that need no ticket — How to Install Approved Software (Company Portal / Self Service).

5. Email

Term	What it means	Why you'd hear it
Exchange	The Microsoft mail system behind your work mailbox. Outlook is the app; Exchange is the service it talks to.	"Exchange is having an issue" means mail delivery, not Outlook on your machine.
Mailbox	Your account's mail storage — messages, calendar, and contacts, held on the server rather than only on your laptop.	Size warnings. See How to Manage Your Outlook Mailbox Storage and Avoid "Mailbox Full" Errors.
Distribution list	One address that forwards to a fixed set of people. Nothing is stored at the address itself.	Team-wide announcements — How to Create a Contact Group (Distribution List) in Outlook.
Shared mailbox	A real mailbox, such as `support@`, that several people open alongside their own, with one shared set of messages.	Team inboxes. Compared side by side in Understanding Distribution Lists, Microsoft 365 Groups, and Shared Mailboxes.
Phishing	An email or message designed to trick you into giving up a password, approving an MFA prompt, or paying an invoice.	Security awareness mail. Learn the tells in How to Identify a Phishing Email.
Spam filter	The service that sorts unwanted mail into Junk before it reaches your inbox.	Missing messages that turn out to be in Junk Email — How to Manage Junk Mail and Spam Filters in Outlook.
Delegate access	Permission for a colleague to read, send from, or manage your mailbox or calendar on your behalf.	Cover during leave.

6. General IT Words

Term	What it means	Why you'd hear it
Cache	A local store of recently used data that an app keeps so it loads faster next time.	"Clear your cache" — the stored copy has gone stale. See How to Clear Browser Cache and Cookies.
Patch	A fix released by a software vendor, usually for a security hole or a bug.	Patch Tuesday and monthly restart reminders.
Reboot	A full restart, which clears memory and finishes pending updates. Closing the lid is not one.	The first thing IT asks, for good reason — How to Fix Common Computer Glitches by Restarting.
Ticket	A tracked record of your request in the helpdesk system, with a reference number and an owner.	Every support request. Write a good one with How to Submit an Effective IT Support Ticket.
License	The paid entitlement attached to your account that unlocks a given app or feature.	Apps that open in read-only mode or refuse to activate — Understanding Microsoft 365 Licensing and Plan Differences.
Admin rights	Permission to install software and change protected Windows settings. Most work accounts deliberately do not have them.	Installers that stop with a password prompt — Understanding IT Policies: Why You Can't Download That App.
Escalation	Passing a ticket to a more specialised team when the first line cannot resolve it.	Long-running issues.
Known issue	A fault the vendor has confirmed and is working on, with no local fix available yet.	Outages — What to Do When Microsoft 365 Is Down.

Tip: When a reply from IT contains a term you cannot place, ask directly: "Can you tell me what that term means for me — is there anything I need to do?" A one-line answer now saves a day of waiting on a ticket you misread.

Troubleshooting

INFO

Terminology varies between organizations. Some call the ticket system the service desk, some call a device build an image and others call it a gold build. If a phrase in a reply does not match anything here, it is almost certainly a local name for something on this list rather than a new concept.

Symptom / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
"We'll push that via Intune"	Change is delivered by device management	Nothing to do on your side. Stay connected to the internet and restart within a day so the change applies.
"Clear your cache" changed nothing	The wrong cache was cleared	Each app has its own. Browser cache is not Teams cache — see How to Clear the Microsoft Teams Cache.
"You're over quota"	A storage limit has been reached	Identify which one — mailbox or OneDrive — then free space using the quota guide in Section 2.
"That's a Group Policy setting"	Configuration is applied centrally	The setting cannot be changed on your machine. Ask IT to update the policy, and give them the exact setting name and the business reason you need it.
"It looks like a DNS issue"	Name lookups are failing	Your connection works but names are not resolving. Follow the DNS guide in Section 3 before raising a ticket.
"Your license hasn't been assigned"	No plan attached to your account	Ask IT to assign the license and name the app you need — for example, "I need a Microsoft 365 license that includes the Project desktop app."

Understanding Common IT Terms — A Plain English Glossary ​

Summary ​

Prerequisites ​

Instructions ​

1. Accounts and Signing In ​

2. Files and Storage ​

3. Networking ​

4. Devices and Management ​

5. Email ​

6. General IT Words ​

Troubleshooting ​

Related Articles ​

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